The Dragonguard (Burned-Mane Canon)
'''The Dragonguard' is a faction of Dragon hunters operating in northern Tamriel and based in Skyrim. It was originated from Akaviri invaders and evolved into the Blades in the 3rd Era by Tiber Septim at the start of his Empire. The Dragonguard only resurfaced in the 4th Era, when the Blades split during the Stormcrown Rebellion because of conflicts of their support of Harold Burned-Mane and Daric Lariat. History Early History The faction was created by men from Akavir. They relentlessly hunted dragons in Akavir, and in 1E 2703 they invaded Tamriel to continue this crusade. They marched through Morrowind and Skyrim with little resistance until being met by the united forces of Cyrodiil under Reman I at Pale Pass, in the Jerall Mountains. As soon as they heard Reman's voice at Pale Pass, they knelt before him and proclaimed him Dragonborn, claiming he was what they had come to seek. They then began to serve the Imperial Emperor as the bodyguard for him and his descendants while continuing to hunt dragons. Dragons were driven nearly to extinction in the next two centuries, and the Dragonguard operated chapters across Tamriel under the direct command of the Dragonborn emperors. The Dragonguard was officially disbanded after the last Reman Emperor was assassinated by the Morag Tong, with many members becoming mercenaries and later forming the Fighters Guild. Others went on to ensure the martial and mystical arts of old Akavir would survive into Second Era, and became known as Dragon Knights. Unofficially, some were retained by the Akaviri Potentates, now as a covert force rather than an honor guard. Others continued hunting the wary surviving dragons in Skyrim until at least 2E 373. The faction went mostly forgotten for hundreds of years until Tiber Septim came into power as Emperor of Tamriel. The ancient order emerged from its seclusion and resumed its role serving the new Empire, with Tiber Septim restructuring them into his Blades. 4th Era The Dragonguard were only reformed in the 4th Era, when the newly revived Blades in Skyrim had a schism over who they should serve with the appearance of Daric Lariat, who claimed descent from Tiber Septim. Some of the newer members of the order joined Caccian Vulpin and headed for High Rock to serve the Breton King, while the rest remained with Delphine in Sky Haven Temple to hunt dragons and serve the Dragonborn. They took the ancient name of the Dragonguard as their own to show their devotion to their goal of hunting the creatures. Structure The Dragonguard, despite dropping their knightly role from the Blades, still maintain a code of honor. In that code they swear to protect the people of Tamriel from the dragons and serve the greatest dragon-killer, the Dragonborn, to the best of their ability. The members of the group hunt dragons in trios, heading out on missions when they hear news of a dragon attack. Their area of influence is northern Tamriel, where the dragons have their lairs in the mountains. The trio is usually led by a Master Warden, while the other two members can be of any rank below them. The Grandmaster rarely leaves the headquarters in Sky Haven Temple, only when a truly big threat from a dragon calls for their interference. Normally they just take care of recruitment and training of new members and planning future hunts. They keep to the unique fighting style passed down since the time of the Akaviri Dragonguard, making them highly skilled in combat. Recruitment is fairly open as the Dragonguard are known to take in almost anyone that they see as having potential, no matter their place of origin, be it: peasant, mercenary, noble, etc. Though they don't accept criminals into their ranks. Bases The Dragonguard have their headquarters at Sky Haven Temple in the Reach, Skyrim. They also have members in Windstad to protect the Dragonborn and his family. They also have minor outposts in other parts of northern Tamriel to help keep supplies and refuge during long hunts for dragons outside of the Reach. Members *Jordis the Sword-Maiden, Grandmaster *Rayya, Master Warden *Valdimar, Master Warden *Samuel Tasus, Master Warden *Balmir Bulwark, Warden *Hallin Fafhrd, Warden Former Members *Caccian Vulpin, Knight Defender, equivalent to Warden *Lydia Great-Horse, Master Warden *Esbern, Archivist *Delphine, Grandmaster *Argis the Bulwark, Grandmaster *Calder Fafhrd, Master Warden *Gregor, Master Warden *Iona, Master Warden *Damo Auld, Knight Brother, equivalent to Journeyman. Ranks When the Dragonguard was reestablished in the 4th Era, they abandoned their knightly ranks in favor of less formal ranks similar to those of the Stormcloaks due to the influence of the members being mostly local Nords. *Grandmaster *Master Warden *Warden *Journeyman *Novice Other ranks: *Arquivist, responsible of administrating the faction for the Grandmaster and for maintaining the history of the Dragonguard. Equipment Due to their Akaviri origins the Dragonguard all use their style of armor and weapons. However when the order split up between the Blades and the Dragonguard it was the Dragonguard that kept the old blue and gold color scheme for their equipment. The Blades, to differentiate themselves from the Dragonguard, changed to a red and white color scheme for their equipment. The Dragonguard use very standard weapons between them. They all either use Katanas, with or without a shield, Dai-Katanas, Tantos, or bows. Armor The Dragonguard wear different armor to differentiate between ranks. Novices and Journeymen use the regular Dragonguard Armor, while the Wardens and Master Wardens use the Warden Armor. The Grandmaster has his own unique set of armor. Both the Warden and Grandmaster armors take influence from the smithing style of the Nords, given that the Dragonguard's headquarters is in Skyrim. File:Dragonguard Armor.png|Dragonguard Armor File:Dragonguard Warden Armor.png|Warden Armor File:Dragonguard Grandmaster Armor.png|Grandmaster Armor Category:Factions